Kareem Smartt's quest to become the best basketball coach he can possibly be has been as relentless as a Bobby Knight man-to-man defense.

"I'm always watching different plays and defenses on YouTube, and I attend as many clinics as I can fit into my schedule," said Smartt. "There's always something new out there to learn. I'm never satisfied with knowing what I already know."

Earlier this week, the personable Livonia Stevenson junior-varsity boys basketball coach's diligence was rewarded when he was promoted to take over the controls of the Spartans' varsity contingent.

Smartt succeeds Brandon Sinawi, who accepted the boys basketball coaching position at Novi High School last month.

Smartt is no stranger to the high school hoops sidelines. In addition to serving as the head coach of Stevenson's junior-varsity squad for the past three winters, he also served as a freshmen head coach at Farmington Hills Harrison, where he starred at football, basketband and track-and-field from 1995-98.

"I was very excited when I found out I got the job," said the 34-year-old Smartt, who works full-time for Comerica Bank. "It's something I've been working toward for the past nine years – longer, really, if you count the years I served as a volunteer coach.

"I like an up-tempo style, maybe a little bit more than we've done the past couple of years. I like to pressure the ball on defense. My all-time favorite college coach is Bobby Knight, so that explains how I like my teams to defend."